Posted on 11/10/2012 6:19:16 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
(CNSNews.com) -- Although the Republican-dominant House of Representatives controls the federal purse strings, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that Tuesday’s election victory by President Barack Obama changed how he will approach the GOP goal of repealing the health reform law, saying that the president’s reelection made it “the law of the land.”
“Well, I think the election changes that. It’s pretty clear that the president was re-elected. Obamacare is the law of the land,” Boehner told ABC News’ Diane Sawyer in an interview Thursday when asked if the House GOP would still make repeal its mission.
However, Boehner also said that the law was still “on the table,” noting that he still considered it bad policy and that it was not off limits as he begins negotiations with Obama over key budgetary issues.
As House Speaker, Boehner can prevent any funding for Obamacare or any aspect of it through amendments to funding legislation, to a continuing resolution, or by simply not allowing a floor vote on the funding.
“I think there are parts of the health care law that are going to be very difficult to implement and very expensive and, at a time when we’re trying to find a way to create a path toward a balanced budget, everything has to be on the table,” he said in the ABC interview.
When pressed, Boehner clarified that no decision had been made yet over which parts of the law would be included in negotiations, saying that parts of the law could be on the table.
“There are certainly maybe parts of it that we believe need to be changed – we may do that, no decisions at this point,” he said.
Boehner repeated during the interview that he viewed Obama’s reelection and Republicans’ failure to achieve a Senate majority as a mandate from the American public for the two parties to work together, saying that it was simply the hand he was dealt.
“I may not like the five cards that were dealt to me but those are the cards I’ve got in my hand,” he said. “Now my job on behalf of the American people is to find a way to work with my Democrat colleagues and our Democrat President to solve America’s problems. If there was one mandate that came out of the election, it was [to] find a way to work together to address our problems.”
Boehner’s office clarified his remarks about repeal of Obamacare on Thursday, after excerpts of the interview were released to the public. His official Twitter account posted a message saying that he remained committed to “full repeal” of the law.
“ObamaCare is the law of the land, but it is raising costs and hurting #smallbiz. Our goal remains #fullrepeal,” Boehner tweeted.
Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith also clarified the Speaker’s intentions on Obamacare, saying that House Republicans were committed to repealing the law despite the reelection of its namesake president.
“While Obamacare is the law of the land, it is costing us jobs and threatening our health care,” Smith told the liberal website Talking Points Memo. “Speaker Boehner and House Republicans remain committed to repealing the law, and he said in the interview it would be on the table.”
Obama’s reelection has made repeal of the law extremely difficult for Republicans after they failed to secure a Senate majority and a President who would sign repeal legislation. Obama has repeatedly stated that he has no intention of negotiating over the law and Senate Democrats have refused to vote on multiple repeal bills sent to them by the House.
Here the other side's cards:
1. USSC was pressured to uphold Obamacare
2. Slight loss in R House seats and members who will cave (e.g. my rep Wolf who caves on important things like TARP)
3. D Senate gains and Reid's hand on the nuclear button
4. Obama's support from the media
5. Obama's excessive executive power and willingness to ignore the constitution.
Yet many here expect and want the R House to go down fighting like Custer. The problem with that approach is that the cards that Boehner has are not pretty, and will work better with verbal window dressing like "flexibility" and "will look at all offered legislation". In short he needs to look good publicly and be tough privately.
Yep.
As more jobs are lost due to Obamacare perhaps attitudes will change.
Boner thinks that because the RINO GOP candidate lost, that now we need to be pussies and give reach arounds to the dems. We need to get rid of Boner ASAP!
Slavery was once “law of the land”, too, but that ended up being repealed.
The terms of “Obamacare” are just another form of involuntary indenture, with no opportunity for manumission.
So Boehner should parade in front of the cameras with a knife in his teeth? If it is a war, where are our weapons?
But repeal of any of it will not occur with Boehner.
The Speaker is CLEARLY compromised.
They have something on him and he is being blackmailed... including blackmailed into staying on as Speaker.
Why do you think he cries all the time?
He KNOWS his sins are destroying America.
Nixon left office because the Speaker of the House went after his butt.
Clinton was only the second president in history that was impeached because the Speaker went after his butt.
We have Obamacare because the Speaker of the House (Devil that she is) went after it.
Need to “impeach” Boehner if you want to get to Obama and/or Obamacare.
Hopefully Allen West gets his seat when the ballots are recounted, and then maske HIM the speaker. That’s the kind of tough talking / tough action kind of guy we need in a position of leadership, not pansies like Boener and McConnel.
No, he knows that he can do nothing except stop even worse legislation (e.g. gun control). So he has to appear to work with them while running the clock to the fiscal cliff. Once we are near the cliff (or hopefully over) he will get some good offers from the D-Senate who are more beholden to the interests who will get directly hurt by the cuts (e.g. defense contractors).
Don’t have triplets January 1. Have them December 31 and pick up an extra year. Suggest giving them Hispanic or ethnic first names like Hugo, Fidel and La’Shawn. No one at IRS will even blink.
How do you propose Boehner goes after Obama? There are lots of executive things Obama can do to make any house member’s life miserable no matter who they are.
That is wishful thinking and a very speculative plan at best. It is the equivilent of playing chicken with a semi tractor trailer and we are in a SMART Car with the entire American population inside the SMART Car. Not very SMART, is it?
No, Boehner won’t do jack sh!t.
Notice I said WE?
Americans apparently need more pain before they learn, and they will feel more pain - continued higher inflation & Unemployment, then the loss of their employer healthcare and put onto 0bamacare.
I’ve been preparing, but who knows what kind of confiscating they will do.
Face the facts, all you and many other angry posters here want to have your anger expressed by a "leader" who will quickly be marginalized by the media and bypassed by Obama with a couple of EO's. Then when there is a clear Constitutional crisis we will have no popular support for impeachment (ok, well 30% of Americans). This is the time to get the best deal we can, not explode in rage and get nothing.
They've already passed legislation to repeal Obamacare in the House under Boehner on a 244-185 vote.
But how will repeal happen without the Senate? Think!
BTW...the only time the Speaker cries is when he is making patriotic speeches/comments or at funerals of great men (like when he cried at Reagan's funeral). As much as people like to make fun of him for it I don't see a whole lot wrong with that.
Yeah, you said “we”. “We” just lost the election. We have no media support, no federal authority, no support from the USSC. What we do have is some strong governors and attorneys general who can help sue the feds. Other than that you are day dreaming, so just quit doing that and face reality.
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